<p>I'm trying to find college possibilities for my cousin, who's a junior. I don't know what his stats are or anything but I know he's looking at some very selective schools and very smart so assume he's qualified to get in most places.</p>
<p>the main problem is that he has almost no idea what he wants from a college. his only qualifications were:
1) not UW Madison or in WI (too close to home)
2) not a religiously affiliated school
3) "good for sciences" - he's generally interested in science but he's not sure which discipline yet</p>
<p>as you can see that leaves quite a lot of options open. I'm not sure about what size, either... he visited U Minn and said he liked that "there were a lot of people walking around." he also visited Macalester and Carleton and said he didn't care much for Mac but liked Carleton, but couldn't explain why. after talking with his mom, I think we also identified:
-midwest or northeast
-academically focused/rigorous but generally noncompetitive
-balance of academics/social life but also not too heavy on just fraternities
-active campus without relying solely on greek life or athletics
-science doesn't have to be the only focus of the school. </p>
<p>also, he likes cross country but he's probably not good enough to be recruited and he may or may not continue in college, but a good cross country team would be a plus.</p>
<p>he's coming in the spring to look at schools in the northeast. my suggestions so far have been:</p>
<p>Amherst
Middlebury
Dartmouth
Penn
Tufts
Yale</p>
<p>and that he also check out Michigan, Case Western, Carnegie Mellon and WashU.</p>
<p>critiques/suggestions very welcome.</p>
<p>Oh wow, he prefer similar things I do as well.... </p>
<p>Schools to look at:
Michigan State University
University of Michigan- Ann Arbor
Pennslyvania State University- University Park
University of Minnesota- Twin Cities
University of Wisconsin- Madison
University of Illinios- Champaign
Ohio State University- Columbus ( maybe)
Cornell University ( maybe)
_____________________________________ Probably a few others I can think of later</p>
<p>He needs a rock solid true safety. This is a school that has to admit him based on his statistics (note the use of "has to" rather than "is highly likely to"), that he can pay for without any financial aid other than federally determined need-based aid, and that he will be happy to attend if all of the rest of the process falls through. In all likelihood, this is an in-state public U or community college.</p>
<p>Once he finds his true safety, he can worry about everything else. There are scads of good colleges and universities that have decent science programs all over the country. One of the big challenges facing him is wanting "no religious affiliation". He may want to concentrate on public universities if this is a true requirement for him.</p>
<p>Tier 1: Swarthmore, Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan, Harvard, Yale, Tufts, Haverford.
Tier 2: Lehigh, Bucknell, Carleton, Lafayette, F&M
Tier 3: Gettysburg, Muhlenberg, Ursinus, TCNJ</p>
<p>Just throwing names out there for ya, all are very good schools.</p>
<p>Depending on how close is too close to WI, U of Chicago (I know it has a reputation for not having balanced life/academics, but the people I know who went there had lives and friends and activities on campus).</p>
<p>I agree with Carnegie Mellon.</p>
<p>I believe that Minesota and Wisconsin tuition rates are interchangeable for residents of either state. He should consider U-Minn. if that is the case. It won't cost him an arm and a leg to attend and it is a very good school.</p>
<p>@ Rutgers89</p>
<p>Carleton is DEFINITELY tier 1</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions. I think he's considering UMinn as his "true" safety, and possibly UIUC.</p>
<p>bump, anyone else?</p>
<p>try Everest College</p>